make news in america this morning -- racetrack tragedy. >> dan wheldon, one of racing's top drivers was killed in a wreck. what went wrong? then, occupy the world. the protests that started on wall street have spread across the globe. do they have a message to follow? and coffee blackout? why starbucks is warning that coffee could soon become extinct? say it ain't joe.

bad news for the early bird this is morning. good morning, i'm yunji de nies. >> and i'm dan kloeffler. a popular and well-liked driver was killed. john hendren joins us live with the latest. good morning, john. >> reporter: good morning. it was supposed to be a showcase event for the struggling indy car series. but with speeds up to 225 miles an hour and a crowded field, aggressive driving was a worry from the start. drivers and indy fans called it the worst crash they had seen. >> cars in flames, wreckage, carnage. terrible. >> it's the most horrific race i have ever seen in my life. >> reporter: then came the tragic announcement. >> indy car is sad to announce

that dan wheldon has passed away from unsurvivable injuries. >> reporter: he was trying win a share of a $5 million bonus when his car flow over another in lap 11. >> you know, one minute, you're joking around before driver intros. and the next -- dan's gone. ♪ >> reporter: fellow drivers and fans alike mourned the loss of the two-time indianapolis 500 winner. >> i think i'm getting old. i have been through too many of these already. you ask anybody in the field if we could choose way to go -- that's the way. >> we're all going to miss him. a little bit of everybody in indy car racing died today. >> reporter: wheldon was 33. this was just his third start of this season. he had cut back on racing to spend more time with his wife

susan and his two young sons, a 2-year-old and baby born in march. yunji? >> after such a tragic accident, the race was not completed. tell us what happened when the news came out. >> reporter: this is a case where the show doesn't go on. many of the drivers were visibly in tears. they agreed to cancel the race. they did a five-lap salute in wheldon's honor. it's a rare event. the last time a driver died was paul dana doing practice laps in 2006. >> wow, so terribly sad to report this morning. john hendren, thank you for being with us live. this story is so heart breaking because of the family he leaves behind. and three other drivers injured. 15 cars. >> obviously, this video is playing out everywhere. for the family and close friends

to have to see that, hopefully, they're taking relief from each other. >> dan wheldon, taken far too early. 33 years old. leaving behind a wife and two young sons. moving on, a nuclear engineer who had been at the south pole has been rescued. she's been trying to get medical help since an apparent stroke two weeks ago. >> douceur now being taken to a research station in antarctica and event actually to new zealand. the long overdue dedication of the martin luther king jr. memorial. speakers included veterans of the civil rights movement, dr. king's own children, and president obama. who had words of encouragement. >> he would want them to know

that he had setbacks. because they will have setbacks. he would want them to know he had doubts, because they will have doubts. he would want them to know that he was flaws because all of us have flaws. it is precisely because dr. king was a man of flesh and blood and not a figure of stone that he inspires us so. >> before his speech to the crowd, the president toured the monument site with his family. he left signed copies of his speech and a 2008 address in a time capsule. today, the president hits a bus tour to promote his jobs plan. his first stop, asheville, north carolina. he'll wrap up the tour on wednesday in virginia. both north carolina and is a have a are traditionally republican states that the president won in to 08. it seems that with every new

poll, a new front-runner in the republican race to the white house. when it comes to fund-raising, it's a two-man contest. rick perry raked in $17 million, $3 million more than mitt romney. political analysts say both men have stronger campaign infrastructures. international news this morning, iran has a strong warning for the u.s. any action taken against tehran would elicit a response. two men have been charged with conspireing to kill the saudi ambassador to the united states. the worst flooding to hit thailand in a century. they surveyed the area by air yesterday. the barriers protecting bangkok

have held. the death toll is more than 300. >> those are heart breaking pictures there. taking a look state side for this morning's weather. a soaker in southern florida, drenching rain around west palm beach. a chance of showers in northern nerng as well. showers and thunderstorms around wichi wichita, and oklahoma city. >> mostly 60s from boise to colorado springs. sacramento at 83. 50s from minneapolis to kansas city. near 90 in dallas, 86 in new orleans. 67 in new york city. 76 in baltimore. >> it's perfect right now in new york. the two days we get every year. that's it. coming up, as the wall street protests go global, we'll take a look at movement by the numbers. and the brand new plan by the fcc to put an end to phone bill shock. and the 2011 world series is

set. will bit the cardinals or the brewers taking on the rangers?

and welcome back, everyone. overseas markets are up monday morning. in hopes for europe's latest efforts to solve their debt crisis. tokyo's nikkei average rose 132 points. hong kong's hang seng also up 200 points. in london, the ftse opened

higher. last week, the nasdaq and the dow gained. the nasdaq up 188.5. your wireless company now has to warn you if you're nearing your monthly usage limit. many wireless customers are hit with big penalties when they go over their limits. now, they'll be alerted when that is about to happen. an unusual question, what happens if a city can't pay its bills? attorneys for pennsylvania and it's cap pal are in federal court this morning. they're arguing over whether harrisburg can file for bankruptcy. the state says, the cities can't do that. the picture is improving for one of the biggest names photography. eastman-kodak is getting much-needed cash by licenses some of his patents to imax. it will allow imax to brighten

and expand big strecreen movies. it will be a photo finish at the box office. it looks like "real steel" has an edge over "footloose." as of sunday, real steel at $16.3 million, and the remake at $16.2. when we come back, why lady gaga says she had a marilyn monroe moment. and why this cheer leader's routine ended up all wet. it starts off as a gel... transforms into a foam and actually surrounds your teeth. it gets into all those nooks and crannies. dentists recommend pronamel. pronamel iso-active re-hardens the enamel that's been softened by acid you're consuming. acid doesn't just affect our front or back teeth

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a terrifying scene in central america. torrential downpours and flooding have killed at least 66 people. nearly half of the victims died in el safl dor. most of them buried in homes by landslides. the rain has been coming down for a week. more is on tap for today.

>> wow, unbelievable. now for a look at the morning road conditions. flooding on i-95 from west palm beach to miami. also wet on i-35 from kansas city to oklahoma city. also, keep an eye out. it will be slick on i-80 from nebraska to cheyenne. >> if you're flying this morning, a couple of weather related airport delays possible in kansas city and miami. recapping the top story this monday morning. dan wheldon has died after a fierily crash. he flew over another vehicle and hit the catch fence, just outside turn two. >> the remaining drivers circled the track five times as a salute to their lost colleague. dan wheldon was 33 years old. he leaves behind his wife and two sons. >> so incredibly sad that story is. the occupy wall street

movement entering its second month. it's stronger than ever. >> organizers say the legions are growing and the coffers are filling up with cash. t.j. winick breaks down the movement so far by the numbers. >> reporter: 1500 protesters showed up that very first day. outside of wall street, few noticed. saturday, 6,000 marched from wall street to times square. >> we got old out. >> reporter: and that was just new york. some 250 cities in this country have joined the protests. around the world, it's more than a thousand cities. mostly peaceful. except for this clash in berlin and rome. rome says it will cost them $1.4 million to clean up the mess. back on wall street, where it all started.

they have spent $3.4 million in police overtime. occupy wall street claims to speak for 99% of americans. that top 1% now holds almost 36% of the nation's total wealth, this, as most americans struggle. the u.s. unemployment rate frozen at 9.1%. perhaps that's why 37% of americans support the protesters. they tell you they want bank reform and tax reform. press them on how to get that done, their answers are considerably more vague. one thing is clear, they're not going away anytime soon. t.j. winick, abc news, new york. technology exec tys and famous faces got a place to pay final respects to steve jobs. a private service was held for jobs at stanford university. google ceo larry page, former vice president al gore all

apparently among the guests ushered into a church under extremely tight security. turning to sports, here's todd grisham. >> we start with baseball and the st. louis cardinals improbable run continued. last night, game six of the nlcs. that's gone. albert pujols monster mashes that. here's the last out. cardinals leading by six runs. that will do her. they win it, 12-6. the cardinals headed to their 18th world series where they'll face the rangers. the brewers are done. so, too, perhaps, prince fielder's time in milwaukee. now to football. the 49ers facing the lions. niners down, not for long. walker with the touchdown.

did he cross the line is this let's watch it again in slow motion. yes, the ball breaks the plane. it counts. the 49ers hand the lions their first loss of the season. and -- watch this hand shake after the game is over. jim harbaugh with jim schwartz. look how exuberant it goes. hey, wait a second, i'm not celebrating with you. patriots and the cowboys. 20-16, new england defeating dallas. you're up to date. don't forget for all your highlights, tune into the highlight express on espn news. >> we're going to give you more sports news this morning. the pan american games opened in mexico over the weekend. a young woman who is not competing stole the spotlight.

>> a little bit. the cheerleader got too close to the edge and took a bit of a dunk. a fellow cheerleader helped her out. the rest of the team kept on dancing. >> ouch. the 21-year-old was such a good sport, she got back in step and finished the dance dripping wet. >> a true performer. up next, we have "the pulse." why robert downey jr. is telling hollywood it's time to forgive mel gibson. and the unbelievable milestone the world pop slags about to pass any day now. [ male announcer ] whether over a cup of maxwell house...

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only at petsmart®. let's have a little fun. it's time for "the pulse" the stories you'll be talking about today. this one's got us talking. bill clinton's birthday was in august. he celebrated in hollywood. lady gaga was her usual over the top self, saying she was having a real marilyn monroe moment with the former president. >> mr. clinton seated between his wife and daughter, they all took it in stride. usher, he had a good time on this one, yunji. he split his pants and kept on going. and ashton kutcher, there by himself, giving more weight to the rumors about the marriage between he and demi.

>> and robert downey jr. went into superhero mode trying to save the career of his friend. >> urging hollywood to forgive gibson for his rants. give him another chance is what downey is saying. he reported he was uninsurable after a stint in rehab. it was gibson who stepped up, paid his bond. >> the worldwide population is expected to break through the 7 billion mark by the end of this month. >> that explains why everything is so much more crowded. 12 years after we just topped 6 billion. the milestone baby will most likely be born in the asia pacific region. >> the boom puts the strain on global resources, people in developing nations will have to make do with less land and water for each pern. >> oh, tight all around.

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saver it. cup of coffee this morning, saver it. the future may drinkers around the world. >> for those of us that can't function without that boost, we may be in trouble. those with a sweet tooth, you have reason to shudder as well. >> here, men such as juan valdez hand pick their coffee with pride. >> reporter: imagine juan without his beans. >> just imagine if you hadn't run out of coffee. >> reporter: the taster's choice couple without anything to taste. >> i'm double fisted with my coffee here. >> reporter: a work force without its morning jolt of java. zombies slogging lout the day. >> probably my fourth cup today. i would be miserable. >> reporter: the director of sta sustainability said this is no joke. what we're really seeing 10, 20,

30 years down the road is a significant risk to the supply chain. this ad run by the union of concerned scientists worn heavy rains, long droughts, and insect infestations threaten the future of your morning joe. that means no venti, no grande, not even a tall. so starbucks may leverage it's bets. >> it's a lot of calories. compared to coffee. >> reporter: more bad news. another report warns the future may be bitter for chocolate. global warming could make parts of africa too not grow cocoa. >> a world without chocolate and coffee? >> it's not a world i would want to live in. >> reporter: these warnings are brewing unnecessary concern. a tempest in a coffee pot.